Create a Photo Realistic iPhone in Photoshop

This tutorial will show you how to create a photo realistic image of Apple's newly released iPhone4. Hopefully, by the end of it you will have something extremely close to the real thing, which for the few who don't own the iPhone4 (like me), may be as close as we'll ever get. Before we get started it might be a good idea to pull up a reference image from the web just so you know where everything goes and the size of some of the features. But otherwise, Enjoy!

Step 1

To start, create a new document of a suitable size (I used a 10 inch x 8 inch photo size at 300dpi because it fits nicely as a high quality wallpaper).

To create the background, set your foreground color to #505050 and then use the gradient tool and select the radial setting. Drag from the centre outwards to get a soft glow in the middle of the image.

Step 2

Press (Cmd/Ctrl + R) to get the rulers up, drag some guides from the rulers towards the centre of where you want your iPhone to be.

Step 3

On a new layer; call it "silver side", select the rounded rectangle tool (U) and set it to paths. Make sure its radius is 1cm and then drag from the centre of the guidelines, making sure to hold 'Alt' when you drag it. Try and get a realistic shape (If you're not sure then pull up a reference image from the web).

Right-click and select fill paths. Fill it with #C9C9C9. Then choose Filters > Noise > Add Noise. Choose something around 9.51 (just enough to make it look more realistic and lose it's hardness) in the monochromatic and uniform setting. Press the 'Escape' button twice to remove the path. Draw the brush strokes as shown and then go to filters > Blur > Gaussian blur > 2.8 pixels.

Step 4

Set your background color to #0A0A0A, then to fill the selection press 'Cmd/Ctrl + Backspace.' (This automatically fills the selection with the background color).

Step 5

Create a new layer and call it "depth": this is just a line around the inside of the body where the iPhone curves and refracts the light away from the camera. To create the line 'Cmd/Ctrl - Click' the "main body" layer, Then go to 'Edit > Stroke' WIDTH - 10 pixels, COLOR - #000000, LOCATION - Inside.

Then go to 'Filters > Blur > Lens Blur' and apply the settings below. Make sure that this layer is always on top of all other layers.

Step 6

Create a new layer underneath called "Screen." Select the Rectangle marquee tool (M) and then draw from the centre of the guidelines, hold the 'Alt' once you have started dragging to make the rectangle expand from the centre. Make the rectangle a nice shape for the screen leaving space for the menu button, speaker and camera. When you are satisfied with the shape of your screen, fill it with any colour and then create a new layer above the "Screen" layer; don't worry about naming it yet.

Step 7

When you are satisfied with the shape of your screen; in your new layer choose 'File > Place' and choose a picture of your choice (I've chosen my dog - isn't he cute!) Then resize, move, or rotate the image or do whatever you please to make it look good. Make sure that the image is over the screen when you are finished, you can then rename the layer "Screen Pic." Now, press 'Alt - Click' between the "Screen" and "Screen Pic" Layer to make it a clipping layer. This means that it crops to the layer below it and it allows you to edit or change the image underneath with ease.

Step 8

Now we will start on the menu button. Create a new layer and call it "Menu Button", make the opacity 60%. Bring another guideline down to where the button will be and then use the Ellipse tool from the centre of the guidelines holding 'Alt.' When you have the desired size, fill it with white then open the layer effects menu by Double-clicking next to the layer, then use the gradient overlay option with #AEAEAE to #000000 as shown below. Remove the path.

Step 9

Create a new layer and call it "Menu Icon", use the rounded rectangle tool (U) with a radius of 10 pixels and pull the square out from the centre, before we add a stroke to it, make your foreground colour #979797, then select the brush tool (B) and make the brush 3 pixels wide and 90% hardness. Then go back to the rounded rectangle tool and then 'right-click > Stroke path > Brush > OK.'

Step 10

Now to create the speaker, move a horizontal guideline to above the screen, both the speaker and the camera will be centred along this line. Make a new layer called "Speaker" then use the rounded rectangle tool (U) to make the speaker grill. Set the radius to 1cm just to make a rounded edge, and then pull out the shape to the size shown in the pictures below. With the same tool, right click, choose 'Fill Path' and fill it with black. Then view the layer effects and choose 'Pattern Overlay' and 'Outer glow' and use the settings shown.

Step 11

Now we will make the reflection I mentioned earlier. So create a new layer called "Reflection" underneath the "Speaker" layer. 'Cmd/Ctrl - Click' the "Main Body" layer and then select the Polygonal Lasso tool (L), select the intersect mode and then make a triangle across the right side of the iPhone as shown. Fill it with white. Then bring the layer opacity to 55%.

Step 12

Select the Rectangle marquee tool (M) and set the feather to 150 pixels. Select the bottom third of the reflection and press the Delete key a few times until you can't see the tip of the reflection.

Step 13

Now we can start on the camera, pull out a guideline to where you want the centre of the camera to be, create a new layer called "camera." Select the Ellipse tool (U) and make three small circles inside one another from the centre of the guidelines. Fill the outside ring with #424242, middle ring #080809 and the centre ring #080F2B.

Step 14

Now go to the layer effects menu and use the bevel and emboss settings below to make the camera look more set into the iPhone. Then go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur > 0.9pixels.

Step 15

Now that we have completed the camera we can finally move onto the finishing touches for the front view of the iPhone; first we will do the side buttons. Create three new layers underneath the "Silver side" layer (name them Button 1, 2 and 3.) Draw three paths with the rounded rectangle tool (U) with a 1pixel radius along the left side of the iPhone. We are doing the two volume buttons and the mute slider and you can see where they go in the image underneath. Once you have drawn them, fill the paths white, one at a time on each layer. Then apply the settings below on the layer effects menu. When you have applied these to each layer go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur > 1.

Step 16

Create another new layer and call it "top button." Create another path with the rounded rectangle tool (U) at the top right hand corner of the iPhone. Fill it with white and add the settings below.

You may have to move the gradient into the correct place by using the move tool (V) and dragging it along the screen. Press Cmd/Ctrl + F to repeat the last filter effect (Gaussian Blur in this case).

Step 17

Before we move on I suggest group the layers you have used so far into Layer Groups if you have not already done so by pressing the folder icon in the layers bar.

Now the iPhone body is out of the way we can get a move on with the interface before we move onto the back and side views of the iPhone. To start, Make a new layer group and call it "interface", Cmd/Ctrl - Click the "Screen" layer and then press the 'Add Layer Mask' button. This will make everything made in the group crop to the Screen.

Make a new layer and select the rectangular marquee tool (M) and select an area in the bottom part of the screen as shown and fill it with white.

Step 18

Drag two guidelines to the centre of the box and then create a new layer called "Camera button." Use the 'Rounded rectangle tool' (U) with a radius of 1cm to create the button. Press Cmd/Ctrl + Enter to turn the path into a selection, and then fill the selection. Go to Layer > Layer Style > Paste layer style. (This will paste the same layer effects setting from the copied layer onto this one).

Add the bevel and emboss settings as shown below.

Step 20

Now we will create the camera icon for the button, create a new layer and call it "Camera icon." Using the Rounded rectangle tool (U) with a radius of 20 pixels, draw a large-scale camera and use the direct path selection tool to move the top corners of the top box towards each other. Press Cmd/Ctrl + T to transform the icon; resize it to make it fit inside the camera button. Select the Rounded rectangle tool (U) and Right-click the path, click fill path and fill it with #424242.

Step 21

Create a new layer called "slider box" and use the rounded rectangle tool (U) for the box in the bottom right-hand corner of the screen. Using the same radius, draw a box where the top touches the guideline as shown below. Fill it with white and then apply these layer effects.

Step 22

Make a new layer called slider and then again using the rounded rectangle tool (U) make a small slider inside the slider box, put it on the left side. Press Cmd/Ctrl + Enter then Cmd/Ctrl + Backspace to make it a selection and fill it with your background colour. Go to Layer > Layer style > Copy layer style.

Go to the "Camera icon" layer and press Cmd/Ctrl + J to duplicate the camera icon layer, press Cmd/Ctrl + T to transform it, make it smaller and move it above the slider. Then draw a film camera icon using the rounded rectangle tool (U) and the Pen tool (P), transform it and move it over the slider.

Step 23

Import a different image by going to File > Place and selecting your image. Press Cmd/Ctrl + T and reduce the size of the image so it can fit snuggly in the bottom left-hand corner.

Then use the rounded rectangle tool (U) with a 10-pixel radius to create a box over the picture. Press Cmd/Ctrl + Enter to create a selection, and then press the 'add layer mask' icon in the layers bar. This will crop the image to the selection.

Step 24

Now we move onto the zoom bar! On a new layer called "Zoom bar", use the rounded rectangle tool (U) with a 30-pixel radius and draw a thin bar across the bottom of the screen. Then change the tool to subtract and draw another bar within the previous bar. Using the path selection tool (A), select and right-click the outer path, choose fill sub path, and then fill it with #EAEAEA.

Use the path selection tool (A) again and select the centre path. Change the settings from subtract to add and then fill the path with Black. Press 5 on your keyboard to reduce the opacity to 50%.

Make a new layer and draw a circular slider with the ellipse tool (U), fill it with white and then press 9 to reduce the opacity to 90%.

Step 25

Select the text tool (T) and put a Black + and - symbol on either side of the zoom bar, the font is Veranda and size 8 for the - sign and size 6 for the plus sign. Bring the opacity to 50%.

Step 26

Now we move onto the flash display. Use the rounded rectangle tool (U) at radius 1cm to draw rectangle in the top left-hand corner, fill it with white and bring the opacity to 50%. Use the Veranda font in black and size 12 to write the word 'Off' and then bring the opacity to 50% again. Using the Pen tool (P) draw a lightning icon and fill it with #000000. Bring the opacity to 50%.

Step 27

Now we have completely finished with the main view of the iPhone (pat yourself on your back if you like) and if you want to go on further just keep on following the tutorial as we move onto the back of the iPhone and then the side. Before we start, just put the front iPhone into one big folder.

This step will be easier for those which have organised your layers into folders, I have put all my button layers and body layers into one folder which I can just copy and flip for the back of my iPhone. Otherwise, Cmd/Ctrl + Click the "Main body", "silver side", "mute slider", "Top button", "Reflection", "depth" and the volume button layers, Right-click and press duplicate layer, press OK and then put the layers into a new folder called "Back iPhone.

Select the "Back iPhone" folder, then use the move tool (V) to move the back iPhone next to the front iPhone. Open the folder and select every layer excluding the "reflection layer", Then Choose Edit > Transform > Flip Horizontal.

Step 28

Now we move onto the back camera. Create a "camera ring" layer, bring two guides to where you would like your camera to be, and then use the elliptical marquee tool (M), hold down Alt + Shift ONLY when you have started dragging from the centre of the guidelines. Then choose Edit > Stroke > 4 pixels > OK. Then apply the gradient settings below.

Step 30

Create another layer called "grey underlay" and underneath the "grey" layer use the elliptical marquee tool (M) and create another circle underneath, fill it and add the layer effects below.

Finally draw another circle for the lens and fill it with #013274 then apply these effects.

Step 31

Create a new layer underneath the "reflection copy" layer and call it "apple logo." Get an image of the apple logo and trace it or just draw it from memory using the pen tool (P) fill it with #CECDCB.

Step 32

For the flash just use the elliptical marquee tool (M) and fill it with white on a new layer, use the guidelines to keep it in line with the camera. Then go to the layer effects and apply the pattern overlay below.

Step 33

Select the text tool (T) with the Tahoma font, size 14 and write iPhone towards the bottom. Then use the same font but at size 3.7 for the product code and information underneath the brand name. The colour is #545453.

Step 34

Start to draw the safety and quality symbols with the Pen tool (P), have some fun and make some of your own or just keep to the originals like I've done so below. Again keep the colour #545453.

Step 35

Now that the Back is finished then we can finally finish off with the side. Create a new layer group called "side iPhone" and in that group create a layer called "side blk." I've dragged some guidelines to outline the basis of my side iPhone. Draw a box with the rounded rectangle tool (U) with a radius of 10 pixels. Fill it and then open the layer styles and apply these settings.

Step 36

Now with the same tool (U) on a new layer called "Silver" draw a thinner but longer box than the "Side Blk." Its length should mean that it only just protrudes the edge of the other box. Then add the gradient underneath.

From left to right this gradient goes: #202020, #919191, #2E2E2E, #737373, #ADADAD, #BCBCBC, #616161, #EDEDED, #303030.

Step 37

Create a new layer called "Refraction" and then Cmd/Ctrl - Click the "Silver" layer and use the polygonal lasso tool (L) to select two areas on the sides of the iPhone as shown below. Fill it with white and then move the opacity to 40%.

Step 38

Create a new layer called "volume buttons" and use the elliptical path tool (P) to create two circles the size of the volume button, fill it and apply the settings below. I have used guidelines to make sure that they line up with my side iPhone view buttons.

Step 39

Use the text tool (T) and type a plus and a minus in the buttons, use the Tahoma font at size 14. Make the minus sign wider by increasing the width to 160%. Go to Layer > Rasterize > type (do this to both text layers). Then Cmd/Ctrl - Click the plus and minus layers then go on to the "volume buttons" layer and press delete.

Step 40

For our final step use the rounded rectangle tool (U) with a radius of 8 pixels and draw a rectangle on a new layer called "Slider Back." Fill it with #b7b7b7 and add the inner shadow below.

Create a new layer called "slider" and draw another box with the rounded rectangle tool (U) inside the previous box, just this time with a 7-pixel radius. Then apply these settings to it.

Step 41

Just to finish off, select the brush tool (B) at size 13 and hardness 50% with the colour #1E1E1E, Cmd/Ctrl - Click the "silver" layer and then at the bottom draw a brush line by dragging and holding Shift. Make sure it's in line with the other lines from the back and front view. (Use a guideline if you like.)

Final Image

You have now completed your iPhone 4. I really hope you enjoyed this tutorial and are satisfied with what you have ended up with. Hopefully you have learned something new and have had an enjoyable experience.